


I Am My Own Person

by CloudXMK



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance | BSAA, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Clones, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Human Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Some Chapters Are Connected, Unethical Experimentation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:53:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24229954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloudXMK/pseuds/CloudXMK
Summary: A collection of stories revolving around a clone broken free from his prison and learning what the world is like. Slowly coming to embrace it, both the good and the bad.And perhaps in the end, forge his own path.
Relationships: Chris Redfield/Albert Wesker
Comments: 22
Kudos: 42





	1. Back To The Start

**Author's Note:**

> I've been plotting this for a bit and I just haven't gotten time to write it until now. I've written a few here and there but it still needs to be fleshed out. 
> 
> So to let you guys know what you're heading into, this fic is more like a collection of ficlets that are connected to one another (one story with several chapters before starting another story with a few chapters here and there.) It honestly depends how many chapters there are dedicated to that short story but the general idea is that there's one big main plot but then there's different stories/plots either taking place in the RE world or in another setting like a fantasy AU.  
> I hope this helps clear things up a bit. 
> 
> Please do let me know what you think of this first chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it!

_All he remembered was darkness and pain. That was all he knew since he was born. And then he came, lighting his world. He saved him._

_He owed him._

_He was his._

Darkness as far as his eye could see just surrounded him, suffocating him with each breath he took. Time was a strange concept to him. How long had he been unconscious? How long until he would be taken out for another cycle of relentless pain and suffering?

He could feel the stirrings of his consciousness in the back of his head, slowly rousing him from his deep slumber and as he did so, the loud blares of an alarm echoed in his ears. Blinking awake, his vision clears to see the world outside painted in red. What was going on?

“Leave the specimen! We have to escape now with the data!” He heard someone yell in the distance. It sounded so faint within the glass enclosure he was in but the sounds penetrated through the thick glass reverberating his chamber. It was too difficult to see through the freezing cold liquid he was in and the hazy thick glass didn't help either.

He could only see several blurs of white and black running about frantically. Why were they running about? What happened? A loud boom that nearly blew his ears out shook the whole room and the chamber he was in, followed by a flash of white that lasted for a moment.

Shattering of glass could be heard and the liquid he was in rushed out, dropping him hard onto his side on the metal floor of the chamber he was encased in. Crying out softly in pain, he curls up on the floor trembling from the freezing air circulating into his space. 

Now free from his cocoon, he could hear and see everything much more clearly.

It was like being doused awake from a dream. The loud ringing alarms that made his ears hurt, the acrid scent of smoke and blood that filled his lungs, the pain in his side that throbs at a rapid pace like his own racing heartbeat and the figures in white and black running about, some the figures in black firing at something he couldn't see and several laying dead in pools of their own blood. It was all so jarring to his senses.

Pushing himself up weakly, he tries to stand onto his feet only for him to collapse to the metal floor like a newborn deer whom still hadn't grasped on how to walk.

Panic and terror started to grip him when he saw the blazing fires approaching him and the billowing smoke that flowed into his chamber and stinging his eyes. His breathing grew harsher as the fires came closer, and if it were not for the oxygen mask still clamped around his nose and mouth, he would have choked himself to death from inhaling all that smoke.

“The specimen is awake and free from his chamber! The specimen is awake and free I repeat!" 

“Kill it! We can’t afford to let the B.S.A.A. get their hands on it!”

His eyes widened then, his heart starting to hammer behind his ribs painfully. He hears the click of the safety of a gun and when he looks up, dread and panic flooded him.

One of those figures in black was aiming his gun right at him. He was going to die here. 

He had to get up and run. But his legs wouldn’t cooperate and as he laid there, all he could do was shut his eyes and surrender himself to his fate.

At least where he will be going there would be no more pain.

A loud gunshot filled the air and he expected the pain. But when he felt nothing, he slowly opens his eyes only to see the figure on the floor with a small bleeding hole right in between his eyes.

“Lab is secured, Captain!” A young masculine voice barked out loud.

“Search the premises! Find any data you can retrieve!” He heard another masculine voice but it was much deeper. He freezes when another pair of footsteps started to approach him.

He scrambled back until his back hits the metal wall of his prison, curling up in a feeble attempt to protect himself as he braces for whomever was coming towards him.

“Captain, this should be the room where they’re holding Specimen 8.” The first voice spoke.

“Yeah, I can see the containment tube. Hopefully, the Specimen is dead.” The second voice said.

Dead? Did his supposed saviors come here only to kill him?

Why? Why just as he thought that he had a semblance of hope that it was all for naught? His whole frame started to tremble as panic and fear gripped him once again, his heart beating to new heights that it made his chest ache. It was getting even more difficult to breathe as he starts to hyperventilate. Not even the mask he still had on could ease his breathing.

Eyes wide, he watches as his ‘savior’ comes into view.

This was it. He was going to die.

But instead of firing a bullet into him, the man seemed to freeze, his eyes widening and jaw dropping open.

“No… No it can’t be.”

Now he was confused. What did he mean by that?

“W-Wesker?”

Wesker? Who was this Wesker? Why did the man seem to address him as this Wesker? Last he knew, he never had a name.

All they ever called him was Specimen 8. Or they just dragged him to wherever they want him to be.

“T-This has to be a sick joke. How are you still alive!?” The man shouts, his face filled now with unbridled fury that it made him press harder against the wall of his chamber in terror, curling into a ball as he wraps his arms around himself in a feeble attempt to protect himself. 

“Wea… sssee.” He had never learned how to speak as his captors never saw fit to teach him anything. Just a few necessary words for him to understand with pain accompanying those lessons. All he could do was make distressing noises trying to convey his fear and to tell the stranger to not hurt him.

“Eeeeaaaeee.” He croaks out, his throat seemingly not able to function properly and constricting from even more fear making it harder to talk. 

Is this some sick plan you have Wesker? Answer me!” The man roars.

Vivid images of them yelling at him and hurting him flashed through his mind and he starts to sink into a panic, all his instincts screaming at him to get up and run but his legs just wouldn’t obey him.

“Eeeee… On’t UT…. MMMMMRAAAGGHHHH!” He screams incoherently that it nearly tore his vocal chords. 

Screaming out his plea seemed to take up all of his strength. As he found himself sinking back into the familiar sea of darkness, he gladly welcomes it.

Anything was better than to look at those cold hazel eyes.


	2. A Familiar Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this few chapters are going to focused on the main plot of which Chris finds a clone. And oh boy its gonna be a fun ride. 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy this second chapter of it!

This had to be a joke. 

Or maybe he's just entrapped in another nightmare.

But the acrid scent of smoke and the loud blaring of the alarms only told him that this was real. 

That he was staring at the face that had been haunting him since that day. 

Chris could only gape, his gun now lowered at the sight of the unconscious man sprawled on the bottom of the chamber he had been encased in. 

At first, he had been furious, so furious when he saw that familiar face. All he saw was red and he had come so close to firing a bullet right into the man when the man started to scream and descended into a massive panic attack. 

And then that’s when Chris saw those eyes.

His eyes weren’t the blood-red color flecked with orange specks matching the lava in which he perished in.

They were blue. The same grey-blue color he had back in S.T.A.R.S. 

“Captain! Captain, I seem to find some information regarding Specimen 8 here.” He heard Piers cry out. “It seems he’s a clone of… of… Albert Wesker.” The young man said seemingly in disbelief.

A clone?

It was suddenly starting to make sense. The blue eyes and how Specimen 8 reacted.

This wasn’t Wesker. But did he have memories of the original Albert Wesker implanted into his head? The numerous labs he and his team had stormed before had mentioned of mind transplanting operations. Had the organization they were hunting for done this operation on the clone?

But recalling how the man seemed to not recognize the name of his former Captain and how he just seemed to descend into a panic attack whilst screamed out for mercy despite how much it took out of him to do so made doubt seep in. Not to mention how emancipated he looked. He could see ribs protruding and cheeks sunken in, with dark circles under those now closed eyes, muscles withered and wasting away, and just so many scars...

He just looked like he had been put through hell and back. 

Oh god. How could he have been so blind?

Chris had nearly fired into an innocent person. Even if said innocent person was a clone of Albert Wesker.

Seeing those blue eyes filled with terror all because of him made him ill to the stomach.

“Get him out of here. We’re taking him back.”

“Captain? Are you sure that’s wise?”

“Yes!” Chris yelled a tad too harsh and it only made him feel even guiltier when he saw the younger man and his men wince.

Taking in a deep breath whilst he reins in his whirling emotions, he addresses his men this time in a much calmer tone. “It’s for the best. This might be our only chance to retrieve him else the organization takes him back.” He says. It wasn’t a terrible reason but it wasn’t the whole truth. He just couldn’t leave the clone to suffer here.

“Rico, Piers, you two can carry him out of here. Jeremy, quickly extract all the data into the memory drive we have. We need to know everything we can about Specimen 8 before we blow this place sky high once we’re out of here.”

The men obeyed their Captain’s orders despite their misgivings on the matter. Still, they trusted the man. He was after all the legendary founder of the B.S.A.A. and the one who defeated Albert Wesker.

Gently taking one arm and slinging over his shoulder, Piers picks the unconscious frail man up with the help of Rico whom had taken the clone’s other arm and had slung it over his shoulders too.

“It’s done! I got all the data!” Jeremy cries out.

“Alright. Move out men!” Chris barks. They all started making their way out then into the hallway. As soon as they all got out, Chris called for air support through his earpiece, informing them to blast the lab in fifteen minutes time. That would be enough time for them to escape from this hellhole. 

Gunning down a few more of the undead in the way, the whole team swiftly made it out safely with their captive. Scrambling into the air transport waiting for them, they watched in the distance as the lab was blasted sky high until nothing remained.

As they settled in for the trip back home, Chris notices something about the still unconscious clone as he was being tended to by the medic. 

The clone most definitely was identical to Wesker but he appeared younger. He looked to be more so to be in his mid-thirties or perhaps late thirties, appearing to be more like when Wesker when he was still in S.T.A.R.S.

But the image of the former Captain well-toned and powerful did not apply to the man they rescued. Specimen 8 just seemed so fragile as if he could break at any moment. 

Guilt and self-loathing reared its ugly head, taunting him of the image of the clone’s face twisted with terror and panic all because of him.

This time, it wasn’t Wesker who was the monster.

It was him. And that thought sickened him.

“Captain, what will we do with Specimen 8?” Piers asks, snapping him out of his thoughts for the moment.

“As of now, I don’t know. But I’ll be discussing this with Jill and the Board about this. Until then, we’ll keep him in our custody.”

The young man seemed to want to say more but somehow changed his mind at the last minute opting to keep quiet then. Looking over at the clone, he felt pity for the man.

If this was supposedly to be Albert Wesker’s clone, he just didn’t have the appearance that he could hurt a fly. In fact, he looked like the wind could just tip him over.

Still, he remained wary of the clone. Until further information develops, he’ll have to keep a close eye on the clone. They couldn’t afford to lower their guards not when they’re dealing with the clone of THE Albert Wesker.

The rest of the men in the team seemed to agree on that.

Chris was at least grateful that neither of his men started questioning him on his decision to take back the clone to the B.S.A.A. He could tell there were mixed reactions to it but he trusts his men and they in turn trust him too.

He tells himself it was just to stop the organization they were going after from using the clone as their bio-weapon.

But of course, he couldn’t lie to himself forever.

_‘Lie all you want, but you miss him. Don’t you?’_

_“Fuck off.”_ He yells angrily internally at the voice in his head. He hates it. He hates Albert. He hates what the organization did to this poor clone. 

But most of all, he hates himself.


	3. Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be posting a couple more chapters in for this piece because I figure I'm going to be quite the busy bee tomorrow and this coming week. 
> 
> In this chapter, Jill is going to meet the clone. Wonder how she'll take it? Read on to find out! 
> 
> Thanks again for all of your support!

“It’s so strange seeing him like this.” Jill mutters as she looks through the single pane of glass that led into the medical room.

“It’s not him, Jill.” The brunette reminds her once more. 

“I know that, Chris.” She hisses angrily. “It’s not easy trying to differentiate between them since he looks just like him.”

They watched as medical staff hovered around the person in question whom still laid unconscious on the hospital bed, checking his vitals and ensuring that he was recovering. All while they stood and peered in through the window, waiting for any news of the state of the clone. 

Just as Chris feared, Jill didn’t take the news too well. She had lost it when he broke the news to her and he was glad that he had taken her aside to the empty conference room away from prying eyes and ears when he did. He didn't want anyone to see Jill breaking because the clone just so happens to have the same face as the man who controlled her and he figured that Jill didn't want to have anyone's pity because of it. 

She hated being pitied. 

“Have you gone insane, Chris!? What if he has Wesker’s memories? What if he was just pretending to not know anything?” Jill had yelled at him in the conference room, her fury knowing no bounds. 

“That’s what I thought too but… but you weren’t there, Jill. You can’t fake that fear in his eyes.”

“Do you seriously expect me to believe that? Wesker, terrified? When Hell freezes over that’s probably when that’ll happen.”

“I know it’s unbelievable. But it’s the truth, Jill.” Chris says, attempting to reason with her but to no avail.

“I’ll see for myself.” She had merely gritted out.

And now here they were. Jill, whom already had a clear image of what this clone would be, had been shaken by what she saw. The clone was just so… thin. He was practically skin and bones. And he appeared so small and frail among the wires and tubes running in and out of his body. Add in that he appeared much younger than he would be in the present day. 

What the hell did that organization do to him?

From the corner of her eye, she notices the lead doctor walking out and she taps Chris on the shoulder getting his attention, “The doctor is heading out. No doubt to share what he found.”

“Excuse me, Captain Redfield? Captain Valentine? If you have time, I would like to share some news about the patient.” The old doctor said.

“How is he? Will he live?” Chris asks, heart beating rapidly against his ribs. Will the clone survive or will the rescue all be for naught?

“He’ll live. But he’s on the verge of dehydration and starvation. Apparently according to the data that the IT division had managed to recover from your memory drive, his captors kept him alive just enough by feeding him with liquids that contained the essential nutrients. But that wasn't enough, with his muscles having wasted away. He would need physical therapy to build up his strength once he has recovered. Not to mention the injuries he has sustained. 

“What injuries?"

“A myriad of them that he sustained from his imprisonment. X-ray images showed he had his bones broken repeatedly and we also found scarring on his organs, some of which were still healing under the MRI scan. Add in the scars, some of the injuries seemed to come from years prior and some more recent.” The doctor sighed, shooting a look of pity over the man in the room.

Both Chris and Jill were horrified of this. How was the man even still alive?

As if knowing what they were thinking, the doctor continues, "He's alive most likely to his regenerating ability which is confirmed by the IT division. However, we are not sure how effective his regeneration is let alone the rate of it. There's still more to look into." 

“And that’s just the physical injuries. We don’t know of what his mental status is but from what Mr. Nivans and Mr. Fair told of me, he had a massive panic attack when you encountered him, Captain Redfield.”

“Yes he did. I... I caused it.” Chris said, the guilt hitting him once more, unable to look at the doctor in the eye. He still felt like a piece of shit for traumatizing the poor clone even more when he was already in such a state.

“I still think it’s for the best that we have some soldiers guarding the room. We don’t know for sure what his plan is.” Jill says, a hard look now on her face. While she could sympathize a bit of the clone’s poor condition, she was still suspicious of him. Especially now knowing that he had a regenerative ability. 

Chris was taken aback by this. “Jill, he could barely even stand! He’s not going to be running out of here anytime soon.”

“I’m still not taking any chances, Chris. And didn’t you hear what the doctor said? He has a regenerative ability which means he could have the same virus that Wesker had before. He’ll recover quickly and if we lower our guards, we’ll have a bloodbath on our hands!” Jill snaps back.

As much as Chris hated to admit it, Jill had a point. They didn’t know anything about this clone aside that he was called Specimen 8, that he is Albert Wesker’s clone, and that he has a regenerative ability. What even are his strengths? His weaknesses? What virus is he even infected with? As of now, the IT and Research divisions are still looking into the data that Jeremy had extracted.

Until then they were in the dark.

“Fine.” Chris complies. “But they’re not to antagonize him. He’s already spooked as it is.” He adds, cutting off any disagreement.

“…Fine.” Jill agrees.

“We’ll still continue running tests and we’ll work alongside the IT and Research divisions to find any more information on the clone. I’ll immediately inform you once we have found more.”

Chris and Jill nods. “For the meantime, is it possible if I could check in on the clone?” Chris asks.

Jill was stunned and bewildered of this. But before she could protest, the doctor nods allowing him to enter the room then. Jill shook her head thinking that Chris must have lost it.

Or rather, she knew why he was being like this.

As much as Chris tries to deny it, he was so easy to read. It hurt that her partner still held deep feelings for the now dead man despite what he had done to them, to her. She didn’t know which is worse. That Chris lies to her face constantly whenever she questions him of his feelings for the former Captain or if he would be honest to himself and to her.

* * *

Sitting close by the bed, Chris watches the still unconscious clone resting as he remained oblivious to the world going on around him. This just all seemed like a fever dream to him still. But seeing the slow rise and fall of the clone’s chest and the oxygen mask over the clone's mouth and nose fogging up with each breath he took, the brunette just couldn’t lie to himself any longer.

He hated it. He hated that despite everything, Wesker still seemed to haunt his life. And what’s worse, that voice that always whispered in his dreams and even when he was awake always attempting to remind him that he still loved the man.

Despite everything, he still loved him and held their cherished memories close.

He hates waking up every night in cold sweats, the vivid dream he had of him and Wesker still lingering in his thoughts.

But this wasn’t him. Yes, he was the splitting image of the man he hated and loved but he was so different. Wesker never had scars. Not even after all the battles they fought did he have a single scar marring his body.

But this clone had ugly scars that dotted nearly every part of his skin all the way up to his neck. The jagged scar on the poor clone's neck nearly made him heave. Whatever it is that made this scar, it was clear that it had ripped right through his throat.

Not to mention the ugly scar diagonally running across the clone's nose and another down his lip and cheek. He just seemed so delicate and fragile to the touch as if he would break at any moment. 

He then noticed the man starting to tremble even when asleep. Was the man cold? He didn’t feel cold in the slightest but then again, he wasn’t as weak as the man on the bed. Leaning in, he grabs the edge of the cover and pulls it up right under the clone’s chin.

That seemed to help and the clone’s shivering slowly stopped.

His heart twisted painfully inside his chest seeing how innocent the man on the bed appeared to be. No longer was his face etched with terror but rather simply at peace. Albert and innocence never mixed. It would be like oil and water.

But seeing this clone was making him question everything he knew about the man.

If Albert hadn’t gone down that path of no return, if he hadn’t been kidnapped by Spencer at such a young age, would he have turned out like this?

_“Enough. There’s no need to think of him ever again. This clone may have the same face but he isn’t him.”_ He tells himself.

He hopes that he wouldn’t be.


	4. A Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! The clone awakes! How will he take to seeing Chris, the very same guy who nearly popped a bullet into him? 
> 
> All the more to read on! Hope all of you enjoy it and thank you again for the support again!

Every single day after the rescue from the labs, the brunette would visit the clone except for the times when missions would take him away for days. And even then, he still visited him after returning from the arduous missions no matter how exhausted he was.

His men were getting worried at how quick he was getting attached to the clone as they figured that a clone of Albert Wesker would spill trouble. Jill and a couple of other B.S.A.A. soldiers as well as the Board themselves were also concerned of this development too. Many a time, Jill or the Board would try to talk some sense into him but Chris would ignore them and still check on the clone.

It was during one of his visits that Specimen 8 finally woke up.

Chris had nearly dozed off on the chair he was sitting when he heard a soft groan coming from the bed. Waking up with a start, he shifts closer all while he watched the clone slowly wake up.

At first, Specimen 8 didn’t register where he was, still groggy from his long sleep. Until he saw the brunette sitting by the bed he was on.

Loud, rapid beeping filled the air as his heart rate spiked out of panic, terror and confusion. Where was he? Why was the man who wanted to kill him sitting right here? Was he here to kill him still? Once more he starts pleading for mercy but the anguished pleas came out more as guttural cries, making him sound more like a wounded animal than a human, as he tries to scramble back against the bed.

“Hey, hey. You’re safe here. I’m not going to hurt you.”

The clone shook his head. That’s what they said to him to make him trust them and then they would just hurt him once they got close enough. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.

“EeeeEEEeeeee…!”

Chris was getting even more worried. If this kept on going, he feared the clone’s heart would give out if that were possible. But he wasn’t going to test that out. Moving closer ever slowly, he gently takes the clone’s trembling hand and then slowly, reaches over and gently pets the man’s head making the clone freeze. He then starts stroking the man’s head trying to reassure the still trembling figure that he wasn’t going to hurt him. 

“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.” Chris spoke kindly. “You’re safe here.”

Specimen 8 eyes the other man, still trembling but slowly relaxing under the brunette’s soft strokes. He had expected pain when the man grabbed his hand just like how it always have been. He had memorized it enough that it was basically routine for him.

But as the minutes ticked by, there was still no pain. No swing of an arm. No slap of a hand against his cheek. No fist landing straight in his face or any part of his body. No knife stabbing deep into his flesh or a bullet burying into him. 

He started to relax even more, and he whimpers leaning into Chris’s hand then.

Slowly, the beeping slowed down as the figure on the bed sunk into a relaxed state only for it to spike slightly when the medical staff came bursting in.

The blonde-haired clone yelped in fright, pulling his hand out of Chris’s grip and wraps his arms around himself as he curls up on the bed attempting to hide under the covers.

“Onn’ttt…” He pleads softly and sounding just utterly broken.

“No it’s fine. They’re not here to hurt you. They just want to check on you.” Chris tries to reassure the clone but it was like the man didn’t hear him. The moment Specimen 8 saw the medical staff in their white coats, it brought him back to that dark place.

Those figures in their white coats poking and prodding him, cutting him open and taking samples from him, injecting him with all sorts of liquids that felt like fire burning through his veins, or putting him through multitudes of horrific tests that were forever seared into his broken memories.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHH!” He screams endlessly until he starts choking and coughing, unable to take in air.

“They’re not going to hurt you, I promise.” Chris tries to calm the man. But the clone no longer paid heed to the brunette and he was starting to sink into a massive panic attack. Chris looked at the approaching medical staff then back at the shaking figure and it then clicked.

He was scared of the medical staff.

“Just stay back! I’ll take over from here.”

“But Captain, we need to check on the patient.”

“I understand but not now! Your presence is terrifying him.” Chris explains. Turning his attention back to the clone, he sits on the side of the bed and gently takes the clone onto his lap, holding him tight against his chest.

“You’re okay. You’re safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” He coos into the clone’s ear.

Feeling the rock solid frame of the man whom was cradling him, Specimen 8 relaxed a tad bit, his arms coming free to clutch onto his savior.

Chris could feel the clone’s heart beating rapidly against his own chest matching that of a frightened bird's heart. It also worried him greatly at how light the clone was.

“You’re safe.” He repeatedly tells the man in his arms until the clone finally stopped shaking like a leaf. It was then that Chris nodded at the medical staff and they slowly approached them. The clone gripped onto Chris’s shirt like it was his lifeline opting to bury his face into the man’s chest so as to shield himself from the people in white.

The medical staff quickly examined their patient as they didn’t want to make him even more distressed, finally giving a clean bill of health.

“He seems to be fine but he will need to start taking in solid foods for him to regain muscle. Start first with soft foods before transitioning to hard foods once he’s used to it. After he has regained enough strength, we'll start with the physical therapy.”

Chris nods. “In that case, I’ll be taking care of him. It seems that he only trusts me at this point so I’ll be the one to tend to him.”

The doctor agreed with that. Once the IV line was removed from the clone’s wrist by a nurse, Chris then gently picks up the clone and takes him back to his room, ignoring any shocked folks that passed them. Once entering the privacy of his bedroom, Chris then goes to lay the clone on his bed. As the brunette pulls back, the clone attempts to reach out to him not wanting to let Chris go at any moment.

“I’m here. Don’t worry, I’m not leaving you.” Chris tells the clone, moving to sit by the edge of the bed close to Specimen 8.

“I just wanted to ask, do you know who you are?” Chris asks.

Confusion etched on the clone’s face. What did he mean by that? “Mmmm?”

Okay so it was clear that the clone doesn’t know who he is. God, if only the IT and Research divisions had worked faster they would have figured this all out by now but here he was having to ask the clone himself when he could barely speak anything. He couldn't blame them however considering just how much data there was on the clone. It would probably take weeks for them to sift through it all and make sense of the data. 

“Don’t speak too much. Your throat still needs to get used to it.”

The clone merely tilts his head at that but there was an understanding he could see in the clone’s grey-blue eyes.

It was clear that Specimen 8 could understand him but judging from his lack of speech, it seemed he had not been taught to speak at all and all he could do to communicate was to make incoherent noises. That angered Chris. It was bad enough they had made this clone's life hell but they couldn’t even treat him as a human being. Well, that was going to change.

“Starting from today, I’m going to be teaching you how to speak so that you could talk easily to us. Is that fine with you?”

Talk? He knew what talking was having heard those figures in white and black communicate to each other but… he just couldn’t seem to say anything that was understandable or even coherent like them. It was just so infuriating for him.

Now that there was a chance to learn, he accepts it. Specimen 8 nods, eager to learn more.

“Let me get a notebook. I’ll be back real quick.” Chris then quickly went to grab a notebook and a pencil from his desk before then returning to the clone’s side. Just as he flipped the book open, he then realized that the clone was missing something.

An identity.

All his life, the clone must have only been called Specimen 8 as if he was nothing but an object to be labeled. That nearly made him want to scream in rage but he pushed it down as he didn’t want to frighten the poor man.

Taking out his phone, he quickly scrolls on the internet for a fitting name for the clone and then he found one.

Survivor. The clone after all is a survivor and a name befitting of such would be a good name. And he finally found one that would fit the clone perfectly.

“So, I can’t just keep calling you Specimen 8. It’s very degrading and I figure you would want a name that would be yours to keep. Do you want that?”

A name? He knew what a name was as his captors at least taught him what that was. He never had a name before but the idea of him having one seemed to excite him. It made him feel like… like he was a person.

He nods vigorously and Chris laughs. Seeing those wide blue eyes no longer fearful but just so full of innocence and curiosity made him want to protect the clone even more. How those blue eyes seem to sparkle like soft gems. Was this what Wesker would be if Spencer had never taken him?

Pushing all thoughts of Wesker away, he brings all his attention to the clone. The clone and Wesker were clearly two different people and he could see it now.

With a smile, he gives Specimen 8 a name befitting of him.

“Cayden. Your name is Cayden.”


	5. Panic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta go fast! Can't stop me now! 
> 
> An meeting between Jill and Cayden. Oh what could possibly go wrong?
> 
> (Everything).

Ever since Chris took the clone in and given him a name, Cayden had all but latched onto the brunette following him everywhere like a puppy. Whatever the man did, Cayden also did.

It did help make it easier to take Cayden to see the physical therapist when he slowly regained enough strength and get him to work on building up his muscles. Soon enough, the clone had built enough muscle that he could start walking on his own.

However it also led to hilarious situations too.

If Chris was eating a sandwich, he would try to eat one although this would make him nearly heave as his stomach wasn’t used to hard foods like a sandwich yet. If Chris went to the gym, he would follow right behind and try to imitate Chris. He had nearly fallen over when he tried to lift the dumbbells and if Chris hadn’t caught him in time, the poor clone might have injured himself badly. If the brunette went to the training grounds, Cayden would also follow and try to keep up with Chris which only left him wheezing for breath as his stamina was still very poor.

Chris had to tell him to sit himself out and just watch him and the other agents as it would be for the best till then.

Even when sleeping, Cayden would join Chris in his bed, curling up against the brunette's side. And sometimes it would take for an embarrassing turn. One embarrassing moment was when Chris went to take a shower. Cayden had tried to follow him into the bathroom then but was stopped before he could do so. That had only made the clone antsy and nervous.

He learned how bad it could get when he exited from the bathroom now dressed to see the bedroom a mess with Cayden laying on his side on the floor in front of the bathroom rocking back and forth with his legs curled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around himself.

After that incident, he had then let Cayden sit in the bathroom on the toilet waiting until he was done.

At first it was strange to see the Wesker look-alike watching him when he was stark naked in the shower cubicle and it left him with feelings that he would rather have not remembered. Those times in the showers back at S.T.A.R.S. noticing when Wesker had watched him…

Still, he got used to it as Cayden would just keep quiet. Not to mention that the clone had merely only looked at him with curiosity instead of the hungry lust he would see gleaming in Wesker’s eyes.

Unsurprisingly, Cayden had also tried to take a shower by himself after Chris was done but apparently that had left him confused. His captors had never bothered to teach him how to clean himself as they would just put him back into the tank after putting him through the endless horrific experiments according to the data that had been finally been retrieved and sifted through.

So Chris taught Cayden how to take a shower. It should have been common knowledge for Cayden to be able to take a shower but what they found said otherwise. From that same data, it was found that although Cayden appeared to be in his late thirties, he was actually ‘born’ four years ago. Add in that he was born in a lab where he was treated only as a weapon and not a living thing, it would make sense as to why he didn’t seem to understand simple habits like showering. At least he wasn't terrified of water anymore. 

He still remembered when Cayden just wasn't strong enough to stand and he would be bathing the clone in the tub. The man had at first been so frightened, acting literally like a cat that wanted out from the water, just splashing water everywhere and latching onto him. But over time, Cayden got used to it and seemed to enjoy the warm baths. 

Thankfully, it wasn't difficult to teach him. The man was a quick learner. Just as how he managed to learn quickly simple words and use them quite well in conversations with the brunette and still learning more advanced words and sentences at a fast rate. It was clear the clone was very intelligent perhaps even on the same level as Albert Wesker. After all, he had the man's superior genes. 

However, Cayden only seemed comfortable talking with one person, that being Chris.

When it came to anyone else, the man would immediately shut his mouth and attempt to hide behind the brunette's back which was comical since the man was slightly taller than the Captain. But the fear and nervousness etched on his face was anything but comical.

While Piers and the rest of Chris’s men were still wary of the clone, they could see how timid Cayden was and didn’t go out of their way to make him feel uncomfortable or terrified. They also couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the poor man. The medical staff, IT and Research divisions were also sympathetic of the clone having learned firsthand about Cayden’s situation and state from the data itself.

As for the rest of the B.S.A.A. that was another matter. It was apparent since Cayden first came into the B.S.A.A. that they weren't too keen of the clone and made sure that the clone knew of their displeasure. Other B.S.A.A. agents would outright avoid him or talk badly about the clone behind his back, sometimes even letting the clone hear of the terrible things they spoke of. Jill made her displeasure known very well and Cayden was terrified of being anywhere near her.

And then, it just happened one day.

Chris had been away on a mission with his team when the incident had occurred.

Cayden had been feeling even antsier than usual and getting even more anxious the longer Chris was away on his mission. The clone knew it was important as Chris had stressed it well enough that it was dangerous and that he couldn’t come with him for this.

So he tried to find things to do to take his mind off and deal with Chris’s absence. He tried walking outside on the grounds. It didn’t work. He tried to read some of Chris’s books in his room. It didn’t work either. He tried to sleep, to take a shower, anything and all of them didn’t work.

He had been sitting in the corner of the empty conference room as he didn’t like the feel of the angry eyes aimed at him and wanting to get away from them, went into the closest room he could reach. It was then Jill entered the room having been informed by the agents of the clone’s disappearance and went to track him down.

Her frustration and annoyance grew into anger when she saw Cayden sitting in the corner rocking back and forth.

How dare he looked so innocent? How dare he have that same face that tormented her still in her dreams?

She knew that Cayden wasn’t the same man that had betrayed her and had also turned her into his puppet. But it was just so difficult to not put the two together especially with that face.

“Cayden, what the hell are you doing in here? Do you know how long I had to track you down? You made a lot of people worried that you had run off. Or is that what you plan to do?”

Cayden stilled, looking up to see the woman that seemed to hate him so much glaring at him with a scowl on her face. It only made him start to tremble.

“N-No. I… I just wanted to be alone.” He muttered.

Alone. The last time Wesker had been alone, he was working with Umbrella and planning on betraying them all.

It shouldn’t have angered her more but it did.

“Alone? The last time Wesker was alone, he betrayed us!” She snarls, now furious and seeing red.

That made Cayden flinch and scramble back until his back painfully slammed against the wall. “I-I, I didn’t-.”

“For all I give a damn, you could potentially be planning the same thing. What, do you have his memories? I know bio-terrorist organizations have been experimenting with mind transfers recently! Is this what they did to you? Are you going to attack us and betray us again!?” She yells, her rants getting louder and louder until it boomed throughout the conference room.

Cayden was now trembling in full-force, unable to say anything to defend himself. Everything that he learned from Chris was immediately thrown out of the window and he couldn’t find the words to speak. He was now starting to hyperventilate, his thoughts racing inside his skull and his instincts screaming at him to defend himself.

Now descending into a panic attack, the clone screams his lungs out as fear chokes him.

Jill immediately shuts up, her anger now turning into horror and worry as she watches Cayden sink into a terrible panic attack.

Seeing him like this just seemed to click something inside Jill. Cayden wasn’t Wesker. He never was and never will be.

Wesker never had a panic attack. He was always calm and collected or furious if plans don’t go his way. But never this.

Rushing over to the clone’s side, Jill places her hand on Cayden’s shoulder trying to shake him out of his panic attack and attempting to calm him down. “Cayden. Cayden! You’re safe! I’m not going to hurt you!”

He didn’t seem to hear her. He kept on screaming, his eyes wild and unfocused. Jill then did what she thought she would never do for Wesker or at least Wesker’s clone. She pulls him into a tight hug.

The man froze and then continued screaming all while Jill hugged him still and ran her hand up and down his back as a means to calm him down. It didn’t do much.

Cayden only kept on screaming until he passed out from lack of air. Concerned, Jill calls in for the medical staff to come and help Cayden to the medical bay.

As she watches Cayden being taken away to the medical bay, she wondered how the hell she was going to explain this to Chris.

“Fuck…” She murmurs.

Guilt filled her soul. She hadn’t mean to lose it. But she did and she hated herself for it. Especially as she was reminded once more of the fear in those pale blue eyes now forever seared inside her memories.


	6. Do Clones Have Souls?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some hurt/comfort. Poor Cayden needs some comforting y'all. 
> 
> And does he still have a lot to learn of the world and becoming his own self.

“What the hell were you thinking, Jill!?” Chris shouts. He was just utterly furious right now. When he had returned from the mission, he had noticed something was amiss.

First was that Cayden hadn’t come to greet him as he usually did whenever he returned from his missions. Second, he noticed a few guilty looks on some of the B.S.A.A.’s soldiers and upset looks from the medical staff, IT and Research divisions. And third, Jill had this guilty look on her face.

He had tried to ask her but she had immediately excused herself before he could even put a word in. It was only by asking the medical staff did he learn what had happened.

“I learned from the doctor that ever since he woke up, Cayden has holed himself up in my bedroom and it was all because you sent him into a panic attack! Why would you do that!?”

“Look I was just trying to find him after the soldiers told me that he had disappeared. I… I lost it when he told me that he wanted to be alone because the last time that Wesker had been alone, he was plotting to betray us.” Jill explains, still looking awfully guilty.

Chris sighs. How could he fault Jill for reacting so terribly to that? She had been through so much and suffered the most at Wesker’s hands. But although he could understand, he was still a bit angry about it. “I understand, Jill. I do. But Cayden is not Wesker. And he never will be.”

“I got it now. But before then, I didn’t. It’s not easy dealing with someone whom has the same face as your tormentor.” Jill mutters.

The brunette just couldn’t stay angry any longer with Jill seeing just how guilty she looked. Pulling her into a hug, he comforts her, “Don’t worry too much about it. Just let Cayden be for now and let me do the talking to him. I’ll try to help him understand.”

Jill nods, returning the hug and welcoming it. “Thank you, Chris.”

* * *

“Cayden? Cayden it’s me, Chris.” Chris calls out, hoping the man would answer.

Nothing. Just silence greeted his ears.

Concern now rising to new heights, Chris slowly opens the door which to his surprise was unlocked. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he then steps in. What he saw next broke his heart.

Cayden was laying on his side in the corner of the room, with the blanket on the bed wrapped around him, curling up as if trying to cocoon himself from the world. He could see the tears that still continue to flow down the man’s wide unseeing eyes. What’s worse was that Cayden didn’t seem to react when he stepped into the room.

“Cayden?”

The man never responded, his eyes still remaining unfocused. It was starting to scare Chris but he pushed it down. He couldn’t afford to be afraid now. Cayden needed him.

Walking slowly over to the clone so as not to spook him anymore than needed, Chris got onto his knees right in front of Cayden and reaches his hand out, gently placing it on Cayden’s shoulder. That seemed to only make the man start trembling.

“Cayden, it’s alright. It’s me. It’s Chris.”

The clone’s trembling seemed to stop then and suddenly Cayden blinked, his eyes becoming more focused as he then looks up at him.

The tears seemed to flow faster and a whine escapes his lips. Without a moment of hesitation, Chris picks Cayden up and cradles him close to his chest as the clone sobs his heart out. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t m-mean to disappear!” He sobs.

“It’s not your fault Cayden. You did nothing wrong.” Chris reassures him, running a hand through those gold locks.

Cayden didn’t know what he did to deserve Chris. When everyone was so angry with him for running away to be alone, Chris told him he did nothing wrong even now trying to be there for him when he didn't have to. 

After he had woken up back in the medical bay, he had run out and back to Chris’s bedroom just wanting to be left alone. He just wanted to be somewhere safe. Everything had just been blank, all his instincts commanding him to run for safety.

It was like he was on auto-pilot.

He didn’t even know or realize someone was in the room with him and for a second he nearly panicked again when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

But then he heard that familiar voice and that scent. That familiar scent.

He immediately recognized whom it was and that was all he needed to return back to his senses.

The moment his gaze landed on Chris, relief flooded through him and he rushes forth mixed in with the guilt for what he did. He sobbed his heart out, his whole body shaking so hard he barely felt Chris pick him up and cradle him close.

He savored in the warmth that radiated off the brunette and leaned his head against Chris’s clavicle, just wanting to be close to him.

Chris just sat there quietly with Cayden in his arms, letting the clone cry until he calmed down. “Feeling better?”

He felt Cayden nod against his collarbone, and he was relieved then. He just couldn’t take seeing Cayden in such a state.

“I didn’t mean to upset Miss Valentine.” Cayden murmurs.

“I know you don’t. It’s not your fault, Cayden. But you remembered what I told you? About what had happened to Jill?”

“…Yes.” He had been so shocked when he had found out that he apparently looked just like the bio-terrorist Albert Wesker and the sworn enemy of the B.S.A.A. when he kept on asking Chris and wouldn’t relent on why most people either treated him with sympathy or with vicious vitriol or just watching him silently with wary looks on their faces. It was no wonder why most of the soldiers and Jill hated him.

He always did try to avoid them since then before that horrific clash in the conference room.

“She’s sorry for what she did. She hadn’t meant to send you into a panic attack.”

“It’s okay… I’m fine now.” The man murmurs but deep down, he wasn't fine. It still hurt that they all thought he was this... this monster. He only knew of this man's existence because of Chris. He hadn't even known who this Albert was and he couldn't understand why they would think he would have his memories. 

“Cayden, you don’t have to hide how you feel with me. I’ve seen how some of the B.S.A.A. members have been treating you and have heard the rumors.”

“I… I don’t want to burden you.” Cayden whispers.

“You’re not burdening me, Cayden. All I want is for you to be happy.”

Happy? He never felt happiness before. He still didn’t know what it felt like.

“What is… happiness?” Cayden asks softly.

That soft question made Chris’s chest ache painfully. Cayden deserved so much more. He had been teaching him of how to interact with the world, but what about handling emotions? Not negative ones but positive ones.

“Well, happiness is… it’s like this warm feeling that seeps all the way down to your bones. Like floating on a cloud.”

“You’re warm though.” Cayden whispers.

Chris couldn’t stop the chuckle escaping his lips. “Not like that. It’s something you feel deep inside your soul.”

“My… soul? What is a soul?”

Chris did not expect to start delving into deep philosophical talks considering he was just a soldier. But he figured he'll just do his best to answer it and he explained to Cayden what it was.

Cayden bit his lip, clutching his hand over his chest as he went over what Chris explained to him. “…I don’t think I have one.” He mutters. “I mean I was ‘manufactured’ to be a weapon. I don’t think weapons have souls.”

“No!” Chris shouted out of the blue, shocking Cayden.

“Don’t believe that. Yes, you may have been manufactured but you are still your own person. You. Have. A. Soul.” He adds, clutching the clone’s hand and bringing it over Cayden’s chest.

Cayden didn’t seem to believe it but if that was what Chris wanted him to believe in, then he would. After all, if it were not for him, he would not have made it out and he would still be in a world of suffering.

He owed him his life. And in return, he would do whatever Chris told him to.


	7. Following Like A Puppy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friendships are formed, Cayden gets to grow and some training is introduced because our boy here JUST CAN'T STOP SNEAKING AROUND.
> 
> I'll post up one more chapter before I then tuck in for the night!

Weeks slowly turned to months. Time just seemed to fly by so quickly unlike when he was back in the lab. Time had seemed to come to a crawl in the tube he was encased in.

Cayden had managed to learn more of the vocabulary that Chris taught of him, now being able to speak so much more fluently and so well unlike when he could only talk through incoherent, guttural cries. His strength had also grown even more and he had grown in some muscles from the physical therapy he went through. 

No longer was he skin and bones too thanks to eating more nutritious solid food, having transitioned from soft to hard foods.

He just looked even healthier than he was before, a far cry of the shaking man that Chris found back in the lab.

But he was still a very shy fellow and very nervous around most folks. 

Unfortunately, most of those folks were the other B.S.A.A. members and the Board who still disliked his presence. Few folks like Piers and Chris's team were those among a group of people that Cayden had started to open up to, slowly becoming more comfortable around them as the weeks went by.

Even Piers and the other men on Chris’s team had also warmed up to the clone, either chatting up with him or sharing some treats they had bought or were sent to them by their families.

They couldn’t help but think how adorable he looked when he had his first taste of some home-cooked treats.

The treats and the light, friendly conversations the men had with Cayden rapidly turned into a blooming friendship, with Jeremy teaching him how to hack, Rico showing him how to cook, Piers how to hold a rifle and use it and the older members teaching him things about the world that never in all his dreams would Cayden ever fathom of.

But what surprised everyone was that he was even comfortable talking with the medical staff considering how things had went initially.

He even bonded with the IT and Research teams and it was during these conversations he had with them that his intellect would shine.

From discussing various scientific topics to analyzing data, he would be able to catch on after a minute of listening to the topics on hand.

As for Jill, she had apologized to Cayden of which the clone forgave her for. He just didn't have a single mean bone in his body. In fact, they were now close friends.

How that friendship bloomed no one knew except for the two of them and Chris.

It was strangely through them bonding over dealing with their nightmares. With Jill haunted by her being kept as Wesker’s puppet and with Cayden haunted by the pain and suffering he endured by his captors.

But Cayden would still freak out and get antsy whenever Chris went on missions and god forbid if the missions would take days. His worry would drive him up the wall. Not even Jill, if she wasn’t away on a mission herself, or his newfound friends could reassure him.

It got to a point when Chris had caught Cayden sneaking into the plane he and his team would be departing on for another mission. He had given Cayden the scolding of a lifetime and the brunette had never felt so low seeing how timid and guilty the clone looked. 

But it was for the best as Chris feared that next time he won’t be so lucky.

Still, he figured that a scolding wouldn't stop Cayden. If there's one thing that the clone got from Wesker, it was his stubbornness. Rather than hoping Cayden won’t leap into the plane without his notice next time and putting himself in danger, Chris decided that it would be best to give him the training that all new recruits of the B.S.A.A. would go through. A decision of which the Board at first weren’t too happy about.

It took a bit of convincing but eventually they relented. Although there were many that weren’t so happy of the decision and had voiced their displeasure about Cayden receiving the same training they had, his team, the medical staff, IT and Research Divisons as well as Jill agreed that it was for the best.

Rather than having Chris and his team babysit a helpless person, if Cayden ever did end up in such a situation where he was in trouble and all by himself, then he would know what to do.

The training was brutal. It would leave Cayden winded and on the verge of passing out. But he never gave in, working hard even when his muscles screamed at him to stop. He wanted to please Chris so he did whatever the brunette ordered him to.

During one such occasion, Chris had checked on him when he saw Cayden needed much more time to take a breath. “Cayden, you okay?” Chris asked, pressing a supporting hand to Cayden’s back.

“Y-Yes.” He pants.

“Cayden, don’t lie. Tell me the truth.” While Chris wasn’t one to be lenient on training, Cayden didn’t go through the exact same testing just like the other men and women did. He was pretty much a civilian thrown into a war that he had been born into for the sole purpose of becoming a weapon. Even despite his slightly higher than average stamina thanks to the virus (of which they still had no clue about) circulating through him, he could still exhaust himself as his body hadn't acclimated to such harsh training. 

“I’m fine really. Whatever you ask, I’ll do. Even if I’m so exhausted I won’t stop because I owe it to you.” Cayden slips out.

Instead of a reply, Cayden was met with shocked silence before Chris finally responds with a soft mutter. “Jesus Christ, Cayden. Is this what you think?”

Looking up then, Cayden nods wondering why that was so wrong. “Why are you upset though? Isn’t this what you want?”

“Cayden, I wanted you to defend yourself but I wasn’t going to push it onto you if you didn’t want it. When you agreed to it, I assumed you wanted it.”

“But I do want it because you told me to.”

“No Cayden! You don’t get it!” Getting onto his knees, Chris grabs the clone by the shoulders and turns Cayden to look at him in the eye. “You are your own person. What you do is your decision not mine. You don’t owe me anything, and you will never will.”

“…But how do I decide? I… I don’t even know where to start.”

“You’ve already made some decisions. Like how you made the decision to talk to more people other than me? How you made the decision to become friends with Jill, Piers, my team, the Research division, the IT division and even the medical staff without me telling you to do so. You just know and go with what makes you comfortable.” Chris tells him.

“So let me ask you again, do you want this training?”

Did he? Cayden wasn’t sure now. But deep down, a part of him just knew. And he followed its internal voice. He nods. “Yes. Yes I do want to.”

“And is it because you owe it to me?”

The blond shakes his head. “No. It’s because I want to be with you.”

That was a good enough reason for Chris. He still wasn’t too keen on Cayden joining him on missions but it would have to do for now.

* * *

Eventually, it did happen. Cayden had sneaked onto the plane without anyone noticing until Chris and his men were in grave danger.

Some would even say that if Cayden hadn’t shown up then, Chris and his team would have all died there.

Trapped in a lab that was about to explode, Cayden had found them using his enhanced senses and torn off the metal scraps that sealed their exit with his immense strength allowing Chris and his team to escape with their lives.

“You shouldn’t have followed us.” Chris lightly scolded the blond man. 

The blond merely looked away unable to look at Chris in the eye. “And all of you would have died in there. I… I couldn’t let that happen.” Cayden had replied back, looking sorrowful and his eyes shimmering with tears. He just looked like a kicked puppy and Chris couldn’t stay angry at seeing the man so upset.

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have been angry with you. You did after all save our lives. But I am not happy that you sneaked onto the plane again without our knowledge.”

“I know.”

"So, in that case, you’ll be joining us from now on.”

Cayden whipped his head up so fast that Chris wondered how the man didn’t give himself a headache. “Y-You would do that?”

“Well its better than you sneaking in without us knowing and complicating matters.” Piers then butts in with a chuckle.

“With the training the Captain is already giving you personally, I’d think you’ll fit in well with us.” Jeremy adds in.

“So we’re all in agreement?” Chris asks his men. They all nodded much to Cayden’s shock.

“You’re one of us now. Which means you also have to follow some rules for the team.” Chris spoke.

Cayden was fine with that. As long as he could be by Chris’s side that was all that mattered.


	8. Clone Meets Dog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything you guys need to know is in the title of this chapter lmao.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and all the previous chapters then! Goodnight!

In his time trapped in the labs, Cayden had never learned of the existence of animals called dogs. 

The 'dogs' he saw were grotesque things that would pounce at him only to crash against the bars of their cages. 

He had been fearful when Chris mentioned there were dogs on the premises but his fear slowly died down when he saw what the dogs were. 

Fluffy four-legged creatures with their pink tongues out and such intelligent eyes. Chris had also told him that they were man's best friend, which confused him a bit. Still, he didn't have the courage to go and pet one lest he feared getting bitten. 

Then one day, he finally had the opportunity. He had been walking past the medical bay when he heard a bark coming from inside. Curious then, he had peeked in to come face to face with a small, fluffy dog.

“Hello.” He greets it.

The dog barked and starts calmly walking over to him until it was by his leg and starts sniffing him. At first, Cayden tensed up, fearing that he would be bitten. But instead, the dog pawed at his leg then looks back up at him, its tail wagging happily as it sat there calmly.

Getting lost in those huge eyes, Cayden felt a great urge to pet it.

Bending over, he pets the dog, stroking its back and finding it pleasant as the dog accepted the pets happily. His wariness bubbled into excitement and joy as the dog pressed its body against his leg.

He continued to stroke the dog’s back and he found the animal just so adorable.

“So I see you’ve just met Rumble.”

Looking up, Cayden sees one of the medical staff smiling at him.

“Rumble?”

“This sweet Shih Tzu. He’s one of our best therapy dogs. He’s friendly but also very calm. He knows when to give someone space if that is needed and when he is needed for emotional support without you even having to say anything.”

“What is a therapy dog?” Cayden asks.

“It’s a dog that has been trained to provide affection, comfort and support for folks to help them relax and ease all their stress and worries. Do you want to stay here a bit longer with Rumble?”

Looking back down at the cute dog, Cayden found himself losing the fight. “Yes. I think I’ll stay here a bit longer.” He says, getting even more excited then to spend some time with this cute fluffy creature. 

* * *

He hadn't even realized how long he had been in the medical bay. Just playing with Rumble and with the other therapy dogs had made him lose track of time and only when Chris entered the medical bay looking for him did he realize how long he had been here.

“Hey Susan, have you seen Cay-? Oh. Cayden?”

The man turned, waving at the brunette. “Hello, Chris.”

“Hey there. I was looking for you. Kinda had me worried for a bit when you didn’t show up at the training grounds like usual.”

“Training? Wait... Oh.” Right. He was supposed to meet Chris at the training grounds an hour ago when he had first met Rumble and the other therapy dogs. Not that he minded it. In fact, he enjoyed being in the presence of the dogs and the dogs were so calm and gentle with him, accepting him without a second thought unlike some of the people in the B.S.A.A.

“I uh, just enjoyed being around the dogs and lost track of time.” He says trying to explain himself. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. You don’t need to apologize, Cayden. In fact, I’m glad that you hung around with the therapy dogs. They really help us out a lot.”

“Yeah. Yeah they really do.” Cayden agreed, gushing over Rumble whom was now sitting on his lap.

“Do you still want to hang around here longer? I don’t mind.” Chris asks. He wouldn’t drag the man out if Cayden still wanted to be around with the dogs.

“No, I think I’m fine now.” Cayden replies, getting back up onto his feet.

“Thank you for letting me hang around with Rumble and the other dogs for a bit, Susan.” Cayden murmurs.

“Its fine, Cayden. And don’t worry, you’re always welcome to come here to hang around with them.”

The blonde man perked at that, “Really?” He asks, stunned yet happy if that were true.

“Yeah. It really isn’t a problem. Drop on by and I’m sure Rumble and the others will be just as excited to see you.”

Cayden gaped at this. He still just wasn’t used to people being so kind to him even from those whom he was comfortable around to be with.

Chris noticed this and felt a tinge of sorrow. It was clear that it would take a long time before Cayden could accept that he truly deserved to be treated like a human being. He may look like his former Captain and nemesis but he was a victim in all this.

He wasn’t Wesker. He was Cayden. It’s just infuriating when most of the B.S.A.A. members and even the higher ups refuse to see this.

“Thank you.” He mutters, shuffling on his feet before quickly joining Chris then. Bidding a farewell at the nurse, the two men heads out to rejoin with Piers and the other men on the training grounds. 


	9. It Should Have Been Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a real meanie to Cayden. This is still part of the main plot but it's a two-part short fic and the next chapter will touch on the aftermath of this. 
> 
> And yeah, the angst is gonna HURT!

“Piers, what is a ‘meme’?”

Taken off-guard by the sudden question, Piers yelps out in surprise and nearly dropped his rifle that he was cleaning. Not too happy of being surprised out of the blue, he turns his attention now on the blonde man standing behind him. “Don’t sneak up on me like that, Cayden! You scared the hell out of me.” The young man snaps.

Feeling terrible for scaring the young sniper, the blonde apologizes profusely. “S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to. Sorry, sor-.”

Before Cayden could put another apology in, Piers cuts him off gently. “It’s fine. You don’t have to apologize too much.” The young man said, feeling a tad guilty for snapping at the blonde. He knew that Cayden wasn’t exactly adept in socializing with others and knowing people’s boundaries considering that since he first opened his eyes, he had only been tortured and experimented upon.

Human social skills weren’t exactly the topmost need that his captors focused on for him.

And while he could now talk thanks to Chris’s help and was slowly warming up to him, Rico, Jeremy, the team, Captain Valentine and the few people he considered were his friends, he still had a bit more to go in how to interact with others. 

That however only made the blonde apologize even more.

“Hey, hey, its okay!” Piers says, trying to placate the clone. “Look um, you were asking what is a meme right?” He asks, hoping that would it would distract the man from his frenzy of apologies.

That did the trick. “Uh yes. Yes I did.”

“It’s uh… Well…” How do you even explain what a meme is? Everyone knows what memes are including him. Yes, even him. He may have been a serious student throughout his school years to be the best but even he engaged in the occasional joke and memes.

“How did you find out about memes, Cayden?” Piers asks, wondering how the man had even come to learn of it. _"Was it Jeremy that got him into memes? That wouldn't be surprising considering he's the tech guy."_ He assumes. 

“…Do you remember when a few of the B.S.A.A. agents surprised me out of nowhere and in my panic I slapped the camera out of one of the member’s hands to the wall?”

“Yeah. I remember.” That had been quite the field day, having to separate Cayden away with the help of the Captain from the furious B.S.A.A. agent whom was furiously pounding the blonde to the ground. The strangest thing was that Cayden could have defended himself. He had the strength akin to that of a B.O.W. from what the data spoke of yet he didn’t even lay a finger on the enraged agent.

“I overheard a few agents snickering about a new 'meme' floating around the base. I didn’t know what it was until I stumbled in and saw a few of them pointing to this.” He said, holding up a printed blurry image of himself looking like a deer caught in the headlights with a single line of white text at the bottom of the picture.

**When you get caught stealing food from the fridge.**

“They must have taken a picture of me before I broke the camera in my panic.” He mumbles, looking every bit embarrassed.

Piers blinked, trying to process what he was seeing. And then his hands curled into fists as his anger started to rise. It was terrible enough that those agents scared the living hell out of Cayden when the man was still as jumpy as a rabbit and then one of them proceeded to beat him when he accidentally broke the camera because he panicked. Now they had to make a joke out of the poor clone whom had no idea what a meme even is.

Granted most memes were funny because they were taken at the most unexpected moments. That was what made the meme work. This however was just an expected reaction and clearly in poor taste. 

“I found a few more images around the base then. I tried to ask Jeremy and Rico but they were too busy at the time. I then tried to ask the older members of the team and even Chris and Jill but they seemed to not understand what a meme is either.”

That wasn’t surprising considering memes were a staple of his, Jeremy’s and Rico’s generation.

“To put it basically, a meme is meant to be a joke that you spread on the internet. You can either just use the image itself or put a caption beneath the text to complete the joke.” Piers explains. 

“Oh. I guess that explains why they would use me then…”

“NO!” The young man shouts, fury curling in the pit of his stomach and coursing through his veins. “What they did was horrid. A reactionary meme is only funny if the reaction was unexpected. This isn’t funny at all.”

“Come on. We’ll go and get rid of the pictures.” Piers says, setting his rifle back on the weapons rack and heads out with Cayden trekking right behind him.

They eventually tracked down every single picture although it did take them a bit of time. Now in Piers’s room, the blonde watches from the corner of the room as Piers shreds every single picture in his shredder.

“You really didn’t have to help me. I only wanted to ask about what memes were.”

“I don’t mind that you’re asking what a meme is, Cayden. What I don’t mind is that the other agents would resort to using you to be the butt of jokes. You’re one of us now.”

It was still so strange to hear another person accept him whole-heartedly just like Chris did. Even though he knew that Chris, the brunette's team, Jill and a few folks in the B.S.A.A. accepted him, a part of him was still hesitant to believe it.

Years of pain and mocking insults taught him he was nothing but a tool to be used. That he had no free will and he was to be owned.

It was hard to unlearn all that was ingrained into him even when Chris was adamant of him being his own person and helping him to understand this, even though the concept was just so foreign to him.

“Am I? I’m not like you, Piers. I’m… I’m not even human.”

Turning on his heel, Piers heads over to where Cayden was and firmly grabs him by the shoulders, looking at the man in the eye. “Trust me. You’re more human than you could possibly imagine. Hell, you don’t even retaliate when you were getting beaten to the ground all because you panicked, Cayden.”

“…Why do you care so much about me? You were initially wary of me and for good reason. Is it because Chris accepted me and you’re just following his orders? You don’t have to lie to me.” He mumbles as he rubs his arm, a nervous habit of his, and turns his gaze away from the young man’s gaze.

“That’s far from the truth, Cayden. I accepted you into our team not because of the Captain but because you are a person deserving of such. Even if I was initially wary, I'm not blind to see that you and Albert Wesker are two completely different people.” He said. His sense of justice hated that another person was experimented on even if that person was a clone of Albert Wesker.

“Listen. I know you don’t believe that you do deserve being accepted by us but it is the truth. And I hope one day you’ll realize it.”

“What if I don’t?”

That only made Piers chuckle. “With Captain Redfield around, he’s going to knock that through your skull until you finally get it. And I’ll also be here to get that through your head too.”

That made the blonde smile a bit, his anxiety lowering once more. He knew how stubborn Chris was in everything that he did for him. From teaching him how to defend himself, to talk and interact with others, and most of all, to believe in himself as a person of his own self. But it isn’t just Chris. He knew Piers was just as stubborn as the Captain in that regard.

Warmth filled him knowing that there was someone out there who also looked at him as a person and treated him as such.

“Thank you, Piers.” Cayden mumbles, his blue eyes now on the young man.

“You don't have to thank me. It's what friends are for.” Piers says with a beaming smile.

* * *

Muffled shouts and roars filled his ears, growing ever louder as he slowly regained consciousness. He hissed as his skull throbbed with pain and his whole body ached. Sharp pangs of pain filled his chest making it harder to breathe.

What was going on?

“Piers why!?” He overhears someone shout. 

Piers? Wait, Piers! Chris! An underwater facility, a monstrous beast, a young man and woman, chilling roars, debris falling, Piers screaming as debris crushed his right arm. His eyes snapped open as a pang of guilt hit him.

He couldn’t stop that debris from crushing the poor man’s arm. What use was he if he couldn’t even help Piers and Chris?

As his vision clears and the pain in his head slightly subsided, Cayden then saw why Chris was screaming. The young man had injected himself with the C-virus, forming a trident-like appendage that sparked with electricity at its prongs from the stump of his dismembered arm.

“Piers? Piers!” Cayden shouts. Why!? Why did he deliberately infect himself!? Why did he turn himself into a weapon like him? 

“I’m fine! Let’s stop this thing!” He shouts.

Getting back up onto his feet, Cayden then starts helping Piers and Chris to take down the beast, using his enhanced speed and strength to distract it and hone in its weak points.

As soon as they destroyed the B.O.W.s heart, the three men made their way to the escape pods.

“Why did you infect yourself, Piers? Y-You… Why would you turn yourself into a weapon?” Cayden asks, his heart aching with guilt. If he had reacted faster, if he had moved faster…

“I did it so you two won’t die. I can’t let that happen.”

“By infecting yourself, Piers!? You shouldn’t have made that call!” Chris then steps in.

“It was the only thing that could help us in defeating it.”

Shaking his head, Chris wraps an arm around the young man’s waist steadying him and helps Piers to the pod with Cayden by Piers’s side.

Just as they were about to reach the pod, a deafening roar pierced throughout the facility.

“Are you serious… it’s not dead yet!?” Chris shouts in frustration mixed in with a slight tinge of fear. _"_ _Just how much would it take to stop this thing?"_

Not wanting to let them all perish here, Piers suddenly frees himself from Chris’s grip and throws both him and Cayden into the pod, shutting the door and blasting the switch, effectively sealing both men inside.

“Piers? Piers!” Chris screams, slamming his fists against the small glass window. “What are you doing!?”

“I’m not letting you both die here. The B.S.A.A., it still needs you Captain Redfield. But Cayden needs your help the most. As for Cayden, he can’t die now. Not after being freed from his prison so soon.” 

“No! Stop Piers! STOP!” Cayden screams, shoving Chris aside as he scratches and slams his fists against the small glass window of the pod he was in. He heard Chris yelling too but it just seemed so muffled, as if he were far away. He couldn’t make sense what Chris was shouting, his attention now only focused on the young man whom was planning to sacrifice himself to save them all.

He nearly punched his fist through the glass window but Chris stops him.

“If you break it, we all die.”

“But Chris, what about Piers!? We can’t just leave him to die!” Cayden cries out.

“I don’t want this either! You think I want to watch one of my own men give his life for me? For us?” He screams, making Cayden shrink away trembling in fear from the rage and grief he saw on the brunette’s face.

Seeing how terrified Cayden was, Chris lets the man go trying to placate him that he wasn’t going to hurt him but it only made Cayden take a step back.

“Captain! Cayden!”

Both men turned and peered out of the window watching as Piers gave them a sad smile. “Goodbye.”

The last Cayden heard was screaming and it was only as the escape pod ejected out into the waters that he realized that it was him screaming.

As the pod bursts through the surface, the door automatically bursts open revealing the Sun rising in the distance.

But what was supposed to represent a new day, a triumphant victory, only represented the end of a brave soul.

Curled on the floor of the pod, Cayden clutches his head as tears ran down his face, still unable to process what he witnessed. “I-I don’t deserve this! It should be me! It should have been me!”

“Cayden…”

“IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!” 


	10. Why Does It Hurt?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So this is the continuation of the short two-part fic that I started in the previous chapter. 
> 
> This is in the aftermath of the mission and boy, Cayden is not taking it well. At all.

Simmons and Radames may have been defeated and the world stopped before HAOS could escape to the open waters but at what cost? The victory at the end of the day was simply a Pyrrhic victory.

The B.S.A.A. had lost too many souls including Piers and a great mourning befell the organization.

But of all the people grieving, there was one soul who wallowed in a great pit of grief, sorrow and self-hatred, letting it swallow him whole and pulling him ever deeper into the darkness. 

The one soul was Cayden. Ever since Piers's death, he became a ghost of himself. He would hole up in the young man’s bedroom not coming out once, not even to eat. No one could get him to come out. Even Chris couldn't persuade him to leave the room and it was starting to worry everyone of the clone's mental state particularly even more so for Chris.

Dealing with his own grief whilst trying to help a grieving Cayden was taking its toll on him. It was hard trying to be an anchor for the clone as he was trying to process his own spiraling grief and prepare for the eulogy he would give at the funeral in a few days' time. 

What’s even worse was that they still hadn’t found Piers’s body and it would appear that they wouldn’t be finding him at all. He couldn’t give a final farewell, couldn’t return Piers back to his family and give them peace at the very least.

He was a failure of a Captain but he vowed to stay in the B.S.A.A. instead of retiring to honor Piers’s last wish.

He would be in the B.S.A.A. until his dying breath that he swore to himself. He would not fail again and he most definitely was not going to fail Cayden. 

Yet, despite his attempts of coaxing Cayden out and leaving him food at the door only to return to find it untouched, it was clear that he was failing even this silent promise he made. He was failing another person he cared about. Never had he been so tempted to break down the door so that he could go in and comfort Cayden but he fought back the urge as he didn’t want to encroach on the clone’s space.

Cayden needed time to grieve just as much as everyone else but for how long, nobody knew and he, Jill as well as the clone's few friends feared that this would be detrimental for the clone’s health in the long run. After all, the clone had never experienced the loss of a dear friend before. 

Chris feared that this would be the final blow and break Cayden completely. 

He persisted still. Yet there was still nothing. Even on the day of the funeral, Chris couldn't get Cayden to come out.

He had no choice but to surrender for now and went to the funeral with everyone attending. As he spoke of the eulogy he prepared for Piers amidst the silent tears and soft sobs, he saw a familiar face appear behind the crowd hiding right underneath the lone tree in the back.

He nearly stopped mid-speech in shock but continued still. He couldn’t stop now. It would just bring attention to Cayden and he doubted the clone wanted everyone’s eyes on him.

It was only after the end of the funeral that Chris could only go and search for Cayden. Passing through the sea of people, he tries to catch a glimpse of the blonde until he found him standing before Piers’s family, shoulders lowered and trembling with his hands curled into fists by his sides.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t do enough to save your son. I’m sorry that I left him to die. I’m sorry that he had to give his life for a weapon like me. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Cayden cries out, his eyes lowered unable to look at the family members of the deceased.

“Mr.-.” A man spoke, whom Chris recognized as Piers’s father.

“I DON’T DESERVE TO LIVE! HE DESERVED IT FAR BETTER THAN ME! HE DESERVED TO BE STANDING HERE BY CAPTAIN REDFIELD’S SIDE! NOT ME!” Cayden sobs, his heart shattering as he broke down like a castle of glass.

“He… He deserved to return home to his family! No one… No one would miss me! Why would they miss me? I mean, I’m the clone of the infamous Albert Wesker!” That earned a few gasps from the family and a couple of the guests.

“They would all move on! Nobody would care about me and that’s fine by me! So long as Piers came back, I would not mind dyi-!” Before he could even finish, Piers’s mother rushed forth and embraces him into a tight, firm hug.

“Don’t. Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

“But-!”

“I know my son. He would not sacrifice his life so meaninglessly if he knew what he was sacrificing was worth it. And I can see that. You may be the clone of the man who nearly destroyed the world but you are not him. And my son saw that.” She tells him as tears rolled down her face.

An broken cry broke free from Cayden as he buries his face into the woman’s shoulder, his hands coming up to clutch the back of her black dress.

Chris just wanted to cry as he listened to all this. Was that what Cayden thought? That no one would miss him?

He would miss him just as much as he would miss Piers. His death would be no less painful than Piers. Even if the entire B.S.A.A. hadn't completely accepted him, there were others who would. He, Jill, his team, the medical staff as well as the IT and the Research Divisions would all miss him.

Hell, Piers would miss him too if Cayden gave his life for him.

“Cayden.” Chris calls out.

Freezing in the woman’s arms, the blonde pulls out of the warm hug and turns to face Chris. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be here. You probably don’t even want to see me.”

“No. No, Cayden that’s not it.” Chris reassures the blonde, kicking himself internally for not trying harder to comfort the clone and help him process the grief and pain he was going through.

He should have broken down the door days ago. 

“I’m so sorry that I didn't try harder to stop you from coming to such a conclusion.” Pulling the blonde into a tight hug, Chris continues to speak, “I would miss you if you gave your life to save Piers. Jill would. So many of your new friends would. Even Piers would miss you.”

The mention of the young soldier’s name only made Cayden's eyes flood with a torrent of tears.

“So don’t think anyone won’t care if you're gone. You have those who care about you and we’re here for you, Cayden.”

“I’m sorry!”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for because there’s nothing to forgive.” Chris whispers earning a soft wail from Cayden.

* * *

“Why does it hurt?” Cayden murmurs as he lays there on Chris’s bed with the brunette by his side.

After the funeral, Chris had taken the clone to his bedroom, helping to calm the blonde down and process through the grief and sorrow spiraling inside him.

Eventually the tears slowed down, with Cayden laying his head on Chris’s stomach as the brunette ran his fingers through his hair soothing him.

“What hurts?”

“Here.” Cayden replies, pointing to his heart. “Why does it hurt when I have only known Piers for a short time? We weren’t friends for long and yet… it feels like someone smashed their hand into my chest, grabbed my heart, twisted it and ripped it out.” 

“It’s because you care about him. Even short as it is, you care deeply for Piers as a dear friend. It doesn’t matter if you’ve only known him for a short or long time. So long as you approach on common ground, you’ll fit with each other like a puzzle.”

“…I miss him. He was a good friend.” Cayden says with a trembling voice, his words still thick with grief. 

“I miss him too.” Chris murmurs, grasping Cayden’s hand and placing it over the clone’s heart.

They laid there, grieving into the night remembering the young man whom gave his life to save them both and the world. 


	11. They Finally Meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is gonna be pretty short just letting you guys know. So in this chapter, Jake and Sherry finally get to meet Cayden. Wonder how that will go...

When Jake first met Cayden, people had expected that the young man would not take it well. It’s not every day that you would meet your dead father's clone. 

And at first, it seemed to be that way.

Jake had not responded to any of Cayden’s greetings nor attempts of friendly chatter, opting to instead watch the clone with nary a single hint of emotion on his face.

Already nervous as he is, the young man's lack of response had only made Cayden grow even more nervous. As the clone was internally fretting and trying to figure out what he did wrong, Jake suddenly spoke up, “Relax will you? I’m not going to bite your head off.” The red-haired young man said, now frowning. 

“Um… what?”

“I said relax. I’m not here to fight you if that’s what you were thinking.” Although that had been his initial reaction as he had feared that his father’s clone may have his father’s memories. He had heard of attempted operations of mind transferals being conducted by various bio-terrorist organizations during his time living off-radar and it stoked great fear in him and Sherry that the clone may be manipulating and tricking Chris along with the whole B.S.A.A.

But now as he stood before his father's clone, it was clear as day that Cayden had no manipulative bone in his body. The man was a nervous wreck and looked like he was ready to bolt anytime. There was no way the clone could hatch a long plot of deception let alone go through with it.

“Oh. Are you here to see Chris then?”

“Not really. I and Sherry heard about you running about in the B.S.A.A. so we decided to meet you face to face.”

That only seemed to make Cayden even more nervous. “B-But why? I'm nobody special plus with my face, I doubt you wanted to see me. Is it because… you’re angry?”

“Angry? Why should I be angry?”

“I am your father’s clone.”

“So?” Jake asks, nonchalantly.

“So??” This baffled the clone. Chris had told him how the man in front of him seemed to despise his father. Yet now that Albert's son finally got to meet him, the man with his father's face, he didn't even seem to radiate any malice or rage. 

“You may look like my father and hell even have his DNA but it’s clear as day you’re not him.”

This still confused Cayden. “But… I figured you want to punch me in the face. Since I do have your father’s face.”

“Oh for crying out loud! Again, you’re not him. And even if I did, it won’t give me the sense of satisfaction. In fact, it’ll just make me feel like shit.”

Cayden blinked, still trying to process what was happening at the moment. “...Oh.”

Suddenly, a young blonde-haired woman showed up right beside Jake’s side, surprising Cayden and starting to make him nervous again. 

“Hi there. I’m Sherry Birkin.” The woman greeted, holding out her hand towards the clone offering a shake. "I hope that Jake here hadn't been too intimidating." 

"I was not." Jake protests. 

Recognizing the gesture from the many sorts of greetings that Chris had taught him, Cayden accepts it and shakes her hand in greeting. “Hello. I’m Cayden.” The clone murmurs, pulling his hand out and dropping it at his side once more. He vividly recalls that Chris had mentioned that Sherry Birkin was the daughter of Albert Wesker’s friend, William and her godfather. He didn’t know how she would react to seeing him but her being friendly towards him upon their first meeting was not what he expected.

“I figured how about we all go out for lunch? We could get to know each other better then.” Sherry says.

“You don’t mind?” Cayden asks, surprised of the young woman’s kind invite. "I'm... I'm the clone of your father's friend..." 

“I know, Cayden. Chris told me before I came to find you and Jake.” The young woman said with such kindness in her eyes that it took the clone aback. "You're a victim in all this, Cayden. You're not him." 

“Still... I’m not sure if I should go.”

Turning to look at Chris as if seeking permission, the brunette shook his head. “Cayden, you can go. You don’t need my permission.”

“I didn’t want to make them uncomfortable.” 

“Trust me. If Jake was uncomfortable, he most definitely will let you know. He’s not one to hold back any punches. Sherry will also be honest with you about it so you’ll know too.”

"You're not making us uncomfortable, Cayden. Come on, why not join us for lunch?" Sherry insists. 

Looking back between Chris then at the two young folks, Cayden made up his mind. “Alright.”

“Great! Come on. I know of a sandwich shop just a few blocks down.” Sherry said, beckoning Cayden to follow them. She didn't dare suddenly reach out and grab the clone's hand as Chris had mentioned that Cayden was still very jumpy and she figured that the clone wouldn't appreciate being touched without permission. 

With one last look back at Chris, Cayden then starts to follow the two young folks. He had never been out of the headquarters and this would be his first time out in the huge world. What was the outside world like? Was it like what Chris had described? Apprehensive yet excited as well, he couldn't wait to see it alongside his two new friends. 

As Cayden walks out, Chris felt a sense of pride for the clone. While initially worried like so many folks at the B.S.A.A. of an ugly confrontation between the two young folks and Cayden, he was glad that his fears and worries were all for naught. Better yet, Sherry seemed to accept Cayden right off the bat and Jake too although he could sense the young man was still a bit wary around the clone. 

There was so much more to the world than just the B.S.A.A. and B.O.W.s and he wanted Cayden to learn more of it. And what better way to learn what the world holds than with the help of two young folks like Sherry and Jake. All Chris ever wanted for Cayden was for him to crawl out of his shell and become his own person. 

It would be a slow process but he’ll be there every step of the way for Cayden no matter what.


	12. A New Look To Fall For

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The massive writer's block I had and my busy life really took a toll on me. But I'm back! I'm working on this fic and so many other fics so I hope you guys could be a bit more patient. 
> 
> In this chapter, from the title if you have already guessed it, Cayden gets a new look and uh oh, is someone starting to develop something more? Read on to find out!

Being born into a lab all for the purpose of becoming a weapon, the thought of a haircut never crossed Cayden’s mind. His captors could care less for his welfare. The only time they gave him one was when his long hair would get in the way of their tests and tortures.

Even then, the whole ordeal was a rough and horrid process. He hated having his hair cut so long as he could avoid the torment, the jeers and the mocking.

Since his freedom, he had avoided having a haircut and just lets his hair grow longer until it fell at his shoulders. Chris thought that perhaps it was time for Cayden to have a haircut and he had tried to convince the clone to have one.

It was a bit difficult as Cayden had been adamant on not getting one. Chris didn’t want to push Cayden into anything he didn’t want to do so he simply told him that he’ll let him think it over and just to find him when he had made his decision.

Days passed by but eventually Cayden came around and went to find the brunette. Although it was clear the blonde was still very nervous of getting one. 

“I-Is it really necessary, Chris? Will it hurt?”

“It won’t hurt one bit I promise you this. But I won’t force you into anything that you don’t want to do, Cayden. I just thought that you might want it since I figure you wanted to have a change in your life. Plus I heard that having a haircut is one sort of transformation for yourself and a way of letting go of your past.”

He had remembered Jill mentioning to him how liberating it was when she went to get her hair cut and dyed again to the original color of her hair.

_“It was like the chains of the past had been broken and I can finally move on.”_

So Chris figured that Cayden might want the same. All he wanted to do was help the clone heal from the torment and pain that his captors had put him through for so many years.

Apparently, Cayden had also asked of Jill as he had noticed how Jill seemed happier when she got her haircut and her hair dyed one day. He remembered Jill telling him how free she felt when she returned.

Remembering Chris’s proposition as he mulled over what Jill said, he had made his decision then.

He wanted to be just as elated like Jill whom had her own demons and was slowly overcoming them.

“Alright.”

“Are you sure?”

Cayden nods. “Yes.”

“Alright. Jill told me of the salon she went to. Apparently the barber is pretty good and he might have a few ideas for a hair style that fits you since I’m not really good at those kinds of stuff.”

“I can tell. Your closet speaks volumes of your lack of style.” The clone teases the brunette, poking fun at him.

“Hey! I don’t have time to go shopping you know!”

“Then… why don’t we go together? Maybe with Jill? She could help you.”

“You know what? That’s a great idea, Cayden.”

* * *

“So, what hairstyle do you think fits my friend here?” Jill asks.

The young hairstylist looks over the clone which made Cayden a tad bit nervous when he snaps his fingers with a smile. “I just have the idea.” Taking out a magazine, he flips it to a certain page and shows the trio the hair style in question.

“I think a short haircut that is a combed over undercut will suit him best. It will bring out his charm and he’s going to look gorgeous when I’m done with him.”

“Really?” Cayden asks, quite astonished that the confident hairstylist was able to pick a hairstyle for him so quick.

“You bet!” Putting the cloth over his neck, the hair stylist then tells Cayden to relax. “You’re going to love it. Just sit tight and wait. It’ll be over in a flash.”

Just as the hairstylist said, it didn’t take long and by the time the young man was done, Cayden almost didn’t recognize the person whom was staring back at him in the mirror.

He looked fresh, clean. Just like a brand new person.

No longer did he have the shoulder-length raggedy hair but a pristine, clean cut. Spinning him around in his chair, the hairstylist shows off his work to Jill and Chris.

“So what do you think?”

“Oh wow! Cayden, you look really good!” Jill exclaims.

Chris, on the other hand, was at a loss of words. The clone just looked drop dead gorgeous and even more handsome than he thought possible that it made his heart flutter inside his chest. _“Wait. Why am I acting like a person with a massive crush? Cayden’s just a friend nothing more!”_

“Um, Chris? How do I look?” Cayden asks, nervous when Chris didn’t say anything.

That got the brunette back to his senses. Swallowing thickly, Chris flashes him a smile as he pushes down this strange new feelings he had for the blonde. “You look really good, Cayden. Like a brand new person.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Now that’s settled, let’s get you two some new clothes.” Jill said, paying the barber despite Chris's protest of letting him pay for Cayden's haircut and dragging both men out with her to the stores.

* * *

There was one thing clear to Cayden as Jill took him and Chris to so many stores on and on. He disliked shopping for hours. But Jill had managed to get him new clothes that according to Jill were in fashion right now. 

Both Chris and Jill stood outside the fitting room waiting patiently when they heard the blinds open. Turning then, they saw Cayden emerge out looking shy and nervous.

Now dressed in a loose black collared shirt and white jeans completed with plain white sneakers and a dark blue blazer, he caught many eyes inside the store not that he noticed it. Even Chris wasn’t immune to Cayden’s new look and he had to repeatedly tell himself internally that Cayden was just a friend and someone he was helping to move on from the past of his hellish life.

_“He doesn’t even understand the concept of dating yet so pull yourself together, Redfield!”_ Chris yells at himself.

Jill seemed to notice the internal struggle that Chris was having and shot him a sympathetic look. It wasn’t difficult for her to figure out that the brunette still held feelings for Albert and now that his clone was here and looking like a Greek god, she couldn’t fault him for falling hard.

While it did hurt that Chris still held deep feelings for the man whom betrayed them, she had learned to ignore that aspect. But now with Cayden, whom had literally no skills in the dating life, she didn’t know how to help Chris in this.

Cayden is a good man and she would not mind Chris deciding to pursue a much more intimate relationship with him. But with the man still very vulnerable and healing still, there was no way that Cayden was ready for such a huge step.

The best they could do now was just be there for Cayden and let him make the final decision.

And if that decision had Chris in it, then good for the brunette.

And if not, well then, Chris would just have to be satisfied with being a close friend of Cayden and let the blonde be happy in his new life. 


	13. A Captain and His Green-Eyed Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, dating huh? There's a time skip here and it's been a year since Chris freed Cayden out from that lab. Our boy here is starting to explore a bit and that includes dating. Wonder how Chris will take it? Read on to find out! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Dating was very confusing for Cayden. While he was no longer nervous around most people and he was able to converse with them right off the bat, he had never heard of the concept of dating until now.

He had first learned of dating when his friend, the nurse Susan, had gone on a date. Curious, he had asked her politely of what happens in a date. She happily obliged, explaining to him in long detail of what occurs in a date. By the end of it, he was left even more confused.

There were just so many rules, both written and unwritten, on how to meet and talk with a date.

Even when he talked with Jill and a few of his friends to help him get a better understanding of what dating was, they didn’t exactly help out much.

“You’ll get it once you practice you know?” Jill says with a reassuring smile.

But how would he get it? And whom would he practice it with?

He was at a complete loss so he went to talk with Jill again hoping she could give more advice.

That was when she recommended him of several dating apps to look at.

“Dating apps?” Cayden asked, looking even more bewildered. _“There are apps for dating?”_

“It’s where folks go to in hopes of meeting someone whom they like and go on for a date. Do you want to try it out?”

Cayden gulped. Did he? He wasn’t sure if he was even ready to go on a date. But then again, Susan did tell him that no one is ever ready when going for a date. He figured he could give it a shot. It was now or never.

“Sure. But… how do I get started?”

“I can help you there!” The duo then spent the next thirty minutes putting up Cayden’s profile on one dating app that Jill quickly downloaded on Cayden’s smartphone.

“Okay, we’re nearly all done. Now all we need is a picture of you to upload.”

“Do I really need to take a picture?”

“Yes! No one is going to give a second glance if you don’t have a profile picture, Cayden. Why don’t you get dressed in the clothes we got on our last trip to the mall? I’ll be right here waiting for you.”

Nodding, the blonde jogs out of Jill’s room and heads for his bedroom. He had since managed to live on his own, not needing nor seeking out Chris’s presence to keep him calm as much as before. Still, he enjoyed the man’s company whenever he could get the chance to be with him.

Quickly dressing in a loose light blue shirt and dark grey jeans, he runs out only to nearly crash into the brunette.

“Chris! I’m so sorry I didn’t see you there!” The blonde exclaimed. 

“Hey, it’s alright. But what’s the rush?”

“Oh um, Jill is helping me set up my profile on a dating app.”

As soon as those words slipped past Cayden’s lips, the brunette froze.

_“What?”_

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that?”

“Jill is helping me set up a profile on a dating app. I figured I could try at this dating thing.”

When or what had made Cayden want to go on a date!? The very thought of Cayden meeting another person on a date that wasn’t him surprisingly made the green-eyed monster within him rise up. Jealousy ate at him but he kept up a front not wanting to scare the blonde.

He should be happy not angry that Cayden was attempting to reach out and start a relationship. This is after all what he had always wished for him. For Cayden to have a life of his own.

Even if that life didn’t have him by his side in the end. 

“That’s great! I shouldn’t keep you and Jill waiting. I hope things do work out in the end, Cayden.” Chris says with a smile although internally he was dying inside. 

“Thank you, Chris! Your support really means a lot.” The blonde said and gives the other man a tight hug.

Wrapping his arms around Cayden, the brunette smiled as he returned the hug. He wished that time would freeze so that he could just have Cayden here in his arms.

The thought of the clone in someone else’s arms made his chest ache.

Reluctantly, he lets the blonde go watching the man dash down the hallway towards Jill’s room.

_“Just what are you planning, Jill?”_ Chris wonders. He was going to have a few words with his friend about this.

* * *

“Jill, may I have a word with you?”

“Yeah sure. What’s up, Chris?” Jill asks, setting down her book by her side.

“Look I just want to know… what are you playing at?”

“What do you mean?” She asks, looking every so innocently.

Oh, he definitely knew that look.

It was the same look that Jill had when she tried to get him and Wesker together back when they were still in S.T.A.R.S. back before his betrayal.

“Jill…”

“Look, Cayden just wanted to try at the dating game. I figured I could help him there.”

“But where did he even get the idea to go on a date? Like, who told him of dating?”

“He learned about dating from Susan. You remember her right?”

“Yeah. Yeah I do. Still, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why?” Jill asks, taking her phone and opening up the photo album. “This is the plan right? To help Cayden be able to live his own life.” She said. “I got to admit, he does look real good. I’m sure many folks would love to meet him.”

Having heard enough, Chris snatched the phone out of Jill’s hand getting an indignant protest but he simply ignored it.

The brunette nearly dropped the phone when he saw the picture on the screen.

Had Cayden always been this muscular? While he was not as muscular as him, he was now of a similar build just like Wesker. No longer was he skin and bones but fully fleshed out and looking healthy. How his shirt loose as it is managed to hug onto his body in all the right places and his jeans too…

“Chris. Chris. Chris!”

“Huh wha-!”

“You’re gawking there.”

A blush crept up Chris’s neck and face at the accusation. “I-I am not!” He spluttered.

“Yes. You are.” She teases.

“Oh shut up.” He groans, handing back the phone to the chuckling Jill.

But all sense of humor Jill had disappeared in the blink of an eye to be replaced with a serious look. “But in all seriousness Chris, why are you so against Cayden going out on a date?”

“I just… I just think he’s not ready yet.”

“Do you really think that? Or perhaps are you… jealous?” She questions him, raising an knowing eyebrow. 

“J-Jealous? Why would I be jealous?” Chris said, alarmed and growing even more nervous. Was he that easy to read? 

“Chris. Don’t play games with me.”

Sighing, Chris gives in and tells Jill the honest truth. “Yes. Yes I’m jealous, Jill. I’m not happy of the idea of Cayden going out with someone else that isn’t me.”

A quiet silence fell between them before Jill then spoke up once more. “Do you love him?”

Did he? He had recounted the numerous times since he and Jill went on that shopping trip with Cayden when he started to look at the blonde under a new light. Every single time, his heart would start racing whenever he would see Cayden smile, laugh or just playing with the therapy dogs. 

And each time, he would fall deeper into that familiar rabbit hole. The same rabbit hole that he once fell through for Wesker.

“I… I think so.”

“You think so? Is it because you love Cayden because he is the spitting image of Wesker or because you fell for him? Be honest with me here, Chris.”

That made Chris stiffen.

Was he really in love with Cayden all because he looked like Albert? Or was he truly in love with Cayden because he fell for the person that Cayden is? As much as he wished for an answer, he couldn't find it. 

“I… I don’t know.”

With a sigh, Jill got up and walks over to her friend. Clutching him by his shoulders, she looks at him in the eye, “You need to sort yourself out on this because I’m not going to let you break Cayden’s heart all because you are still pining for Wesker and looking for a replacement of him.” She would not let anyone hurt Cayden, not even her long-time friend.

Chris gulped and nodded.

He had to sit down and look back on it all. He needed to get his feelings figured out lest he hurt Cayden. And he couldn’t let that happen. He would never forgive himself if he ever did.


End file.
